The Hygeia was destroyed during the Civil War and then rebuilt during the 1870s under new ownership. The new hotel, under management of Union army veteran Harrison Phoebus, was built on an even grander scale than the first. Phoebus introduced any new amenity he could find, including electric bells in bedrooms, therapeutic sea baths, and hydraulic elevators. The new Hygeia was so successful that steamships increased their landings to 20 stops per day, and railroad lines were extended from Newport News to Old Point Comfort.
In 1904, as tourism began to ebb, the Hygeia was condemned and demolished by the U.S. Army. Once the place for the “well-heeled” and the “posh,” it is now all but forgotten. In 1890, one of the posh visitors to the Hygeia decided to build his own hotel just down the beach. The man was John F. Chamberlin, and the hotel was named, fittingly, The Chamberlin. John Philip Sousa and the U.S. Marine Band played at the hotel’s dedication ceremony. Guests were enthralled with the electricity and private baths in almost every room and the luxurious saltwater swimming pool.
But as with the Hygeia, the Chamberlin’s popularity soon began to falter. Old Point Comfort’s appeal as a seaside resort was declining by the 1920s. The original Chamberlin burned to the ground in 1920 and was rebuilt in 1928 amid far less fanfare than its 1890 dedication. By 1961, the railroad line, wharf, and steamship lines had all disappeared, leaving only the second Chamberlin Hotel as a reminder of the resort’s former greatness.
The second Chamberlin Hotel still stands today thanks to an innovative group of investors who purchased the property in the late 1990s and completely restored it to its former splendor. The Chamberlin reopened its doors in 2008 as a premier waterfront retirement community, enticing residents with the same Chesapeake Bay views that drew the posh and well-heeled to its shores over 150 years ago.
Monday, February 8, 2016 - 12:00
Old Point Comfort, VA, was once thought of as the leading resort in the south during the late 1800s to early 1900s. Originally home to several luxury hotels, a thriving steamboat wharf, and a rail line, the Old Point Comfort visitors see today is somewhat changed.
The first of note was the Hygeia Hotel. Built in 1822, it was originally designed to house engineers and construction workers, but was entertaining more than 5000 guests a year by 1858. Many improvements and additions were made in those early years, including detached buildings for billiards, pistol shooting, and bowling, seaside verandas, and even “hot sea baths.” Harper’s Weekly touted the Hygeia’s main foyer as the “most noted hotel room in America.” Celebrity visitors ranged from P.T. Barnum to Ulysses S. Grant, and even Edgar Allan Poe made appearances in 1849 to recite his poem “The Raven.”
According to historians, the Hygeia was said to be the most expensive building in America at the time, but it was not just the luxury that drew guests to its doorstep. They came for the healthful sea breezes that were such a welcome respite from the heat of summer. They also came for the sea baths, the seafood, and of course the fashionable social scene.
The Hygeia was destroyed during the Civil War and then rebuilt during the 1870s under new ownership. The new hotel, under management of Union army veteran Harrison Phoebus, was built on an even grander scale than the first. Phoebus introduced any new amenity he could find, including electric bells in bedrooms, therapeutic sea baths, and hydraulic elevators. The new Hygeia was so successful that steamships increased their landings to 20 stops per day, and railroad lines were extended from Newport News to Old Point Comfort.
In 1904, as tourism began to ebb, the Hygeia was condemned and demolished by the U.S. Army. Once the place for the “well-heeled” and the “posh,” it is now all but forgotten. In 1890, one of the posh visitors to the Hygeia decided to build his own hotel just down the beach. The man was John F. Chamberlin, and the hotel was named, fittingly, The Chamberlin. John Philip Sousa and the U.S. Marine Band played at the hotel’s dedication ceremony. Guests were enthralled with the electricity and private baths in almost every room and the luxurious saltwater swimming pool.
But as with the Hygeia, the Chamberlin’s popularity soon began to falter. Old Point Comfort’s appeal as a seaside resort was declining by the 1920s. The original Chamberlin burned to the ground in 1920 and was rebuilt in 1928 amid far less fanfare than its 1890 dedication. By 1961, the railroad line, wharf, and steamship lines had all disappeared, leaving only the second Chamberlin Hotel as a reminder of the resort’s former greatness.
The second Chamberlin Hotel still stands today thanks to an innovative group of investors who purchased the property in the late 1990s and completely restored it to its former splendor. The Chamberlin reopened its doors in 2008 as a premier waterfront retirement community, enticing residents with the same Chesapeake Bay views that drew the posh and well-heeled to its shores over 150 years ago.
The Hygeia was destroyed during the Civil War and then rebuilt during the 1870s under new ownership. The new hotel, under management of Union army veteran Harrison Phoebus, was built on an even grander scale than the first. Phoebus introduced any new amenity he could find, including electric bells in bedrooms, therapeutic sea baths, and hydraulic elevators. The new Hygeia was so successful that steamships increased their landings to 20 stops per day, and railroad lines were extended from Newport News to Old Point Comfort.
In 1904, as tourism began to ebb, the Hygeia was condemned and demolished by the U.S. Army. Once the place for the “well-heeled” and the “posh,” it is now all but forgotten. In 1890, one of the posh visitors to the Hygeia decided to build his own hotel just down the beach. The man was John F. Chamberlin, and the hotel was named, fittingly, The Chamberlin. John Philip Sousa and the U.S. Marine Band played at the hotel’s dedication ceremony. Guests were enthralled with the electricity and private baths in almost every room and the luxurious saltwater swimming pool.
But as with the Hygeia, the Chamberlin’s popularity soon began to falter. Old Point Comfort’s appeal as a seaside resort was declining by the 1920s. The original Chamberlin burned to the ground in 1920 and was rebuilt in 1928 amid far less fanfare than its 1890 dedication. By 1961, the railroad line, wharf, and steamship lines had all disappeared, leaving only the second Chamberlin Hotel as a reminder of the resort’s former greatness.
The second Chamberlin Hotel still stands today thanks to an innovative group of investors who purchased the property in the late 1990s and completely restored it to its former splendor. The Chamberlin reopened its doors in 2008 as a premier waterfront retirement community, enticing residents with the same Chesapeake Bay views that drew the posh and well-heeled to its shores over 150 years ago.